


Dreaming Below The Stars

by harper_starr



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:00:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28144245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harper_starr/pseuds/harper_starr
Summary: au that in my mind is canon :))Regulus is sorted into Ravenclaw, he becomes friends with Lily Evans and his brother's two friends - Remus Lupin and James Potter [fanfic does not include Peter Pettigrew].
Relationships: Dorcas Meadowes/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 7
Kudos: 104





	1. Family of Black

* * *

Regulus stared at the floor before him.

He sat on the edge of his bed, silver silken sheets soft and painfully thin in his clenched fists. A bundle of books, papers, quills and inks lay discarded around him, a mess of knowledge and wisdom to be consumed. His foot had tipped over the ink glass, small amounts of black ink dripping steadily onto bare parchment. He became conscious of the fact that he should pick it up before it dripped through and stained the floor. 

He didn't move. 

"You... _what_?" he raised his gaze upward, to the boy standing in the doorway, his fingers curled uncomfortably around the door handle. 

Sirius took a step forward, releasing his grip from the handle and closing the door gently. "I know... I know it might seem a bit surprising but just, just think about it. Okay? Just think about choosing what _you_ want-" 

"It doesn't _matter_ what I want, Sirius. This isn't me or you - we're Blacks! There's the legacy to be upheld, you're _supposed_ to be in _Slytherin_!" his voice increased and the widen in Sirius' eyes made him remember to quieten, to not attract their parents from across the house. It also told him that Sirius hadn't expected Regulus' reaction. 

"Why would you choose to be in Gryffindor? You knew how furious mother and father would be, and now everyone is calling you a blood traitor, and everyone expects me to do better. They always expected me to do better but now I _have_ to, Sirius," his voice was now a trembling whisper, his white eyes swelling with the slightest of tears. "Did you even think about me? About how much harder it was here for me, a year, alone in this house without you?"

Sirius looked as though he had realised something. Regulus knew what he was thinking about, and as Sirius opened his mouth to ask Regulus nodded his head bitterly. 

"Every day. Every _single_ day, Sirius. What, just because they never did it to me before you thought they wouldn't when you were gone? That they wouldn't hit me and lecture me and try to turn me against you?" He spoke sourly, but not angrily. He could never be angry at his brother, not Sirius. Yet still... not once - not _once_ \- had he thought that Sirius tried to not be in Slytherin, actually chose to be in a different house. And Gryffindor, of all the houses. It made sense, of course. Sirius' unruly and loud personality, the way he found such glee in trickery and pranks. The way he always was so brave and bold in front of their parents. How he shielded Regulus from their blows and always lied about Regulus' participation in his pranks on the house elves. 

But it didn't matter what house _Sirius_ belonged in. He was a Black, son of Orion and Walburga Black. he had a duty to uphold. A legacy in Slytherin house, a legacy to not fraternise with the muggleborns, a legacy to always stick within the noble, honourable pureblood community. To speak with only the Malfoys', the Lestranges', the Parkinsons'. 

When Sirius left for his first year at Hogwarts, almost a year ago, his main insecurity was that everyone would like him better and Regulus less. But the moment his mother and father received an owl from Hogwarts stating the assorted houses for the first years, it had all changed. 

Something he'd always thought wrong to long for, but was now just so much more impossible.

In front of him, Sirius stood quietly, his gaze fixated on the ebony floorboards like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Leave," Regulus said quietly after a moment of silence. He could practically taste the shame and guilt rolling off of his brother. "Just go."

His brother did as he said, opening the door but then pausing in the doorway and whispering, quietly enough that Regulus mightn't have heard and just assumed hesitation, "I'm sorry, Reggie -" _his pet name for Regulus_ "- I love you. But I have friends now, ones that actually care about me. I want you to have some as well. You know you won't find them in Slytherin."

The door clicked shut and Regulus listened to the soft padding of feet down the hallway. He released a breath he didn't realised he'd been holding. As he bent down to pick up the fallen ink, a fat tear fell, soaked up by the parchment. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suck at tone :D


	2. A Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the summer finishes yay  
> conversation between the brothers

Regulus' sleep patterns were awful. Often he'd forget that people were able to peacefully and effortlessly drift into an undisturbed slumber, something that he hadn't been able to experience for a long time. He'd wake up each day, his milky skin waxy and slight bags under his eyes.

His dreams had also always been _different_ than Sirius' and the other kids'. Where theirs were bizarre and fantastical, brimming with strange creatures and conversations, his remained constant each night. Regulus only had one dream, the same for every time he was able to even slumber into REM sleep. It was a room, with dark grey walls and wet floor that felt as though he was standing in an inch of water. Only, when he looked down, his blurred feet remained dry on the tiles. _Tiles_ , because it was cold too. The room was always cold. 

The dream wasn't pleasant. No part of sleeping induced interest or calm in Regulus. The year that Sirius left for his first year at Hogwarts, his sleeping got worse until Regulus would shift violently in his sleep, kicking and grasping at the sheets. His dreams seemed colder, more wet. When the summer began and Sirius was home, Regulus' sleeps didn't get better - no longer did he find better comfort in the close proximity of his brother. 

Regulus would wake each day feeling wearier than the day before, the restless sleep piling more fatigue onto him than letting go. Nobody really noticed, and he was used to its feeling. He stayed holed up in his room during the full lengths of the season almost entirely, only ever coming out for meals and bathroom breaks. 

And so, on one of the last days before the end of summer and beginning of his own first year at Hogwarts, he awoke feeling worse than he had the day before with the memory of the dream gradually slipping from the back of his mind. 

As he stared absentmindedly into the mirror, washing his face, his thoughts brought him back to what Sirius said the first day he'd come home. _Choose_ , he had said. _Choose what_ you _want_. 

* * *

"You'll go today with your brother and I to Diagon Alley, Regulus." At the mention of his name, Regulus looked up into the eyes of his mother, Walburga Black. 

Sirius stiffened in his chair next to him. Their parents didn't personally address Sirius all too much anymore, besides the occasional time when they'd irritate him enough to growl something out. It would cost him a beating from their father, an expected cost. 

"Will father be coming as well?" Regulus asked timidly. He swished his spoon in the remains of his breakfast porridge, having eaten the fruit slices and sweeter sections. 

"No," his mother replied. "Kreacher will accompany us though." She scooped up more of her breakfast onto her spoon and flicked at the newspaper she'd begun reading. An end to the conversation. 

The rest of the meal was spent in painful silence, the only sounds being the small scrapes of spoon against bowl and uncomfortable shifting in the chairs. Even when Sirius and Regulus were finished, they sat in obedient silence until their father rose, leaving the table and heading into his office, eyes never once leaving the papers he was analysing. His parting represented dismissal to the rest of his family and they each stood, heading to their seperate rooms. 

As he had done everyday for the past three months, Regulus moved to his desk where he opened up the latest book he'd been reading - one of the fictional classical literature books Kreacher had found for him. 

Kreacher was the most interesting of the three house elves the Black family kept. As all house elves did, he prepared meals, cleaned, and ran errands immediately at summon. Unlike other house elves, he had been the only company Regulus had had at all for the the summer, keeping him from going mad. When Regulus longed for books to keep him from absolute boredom - a feeling he'd felt much during the year but never before it - Kreacher was able to deliver him a selection from the muggle libraries. 

Before even sitting down on his chair though, a knock on his door kept him from launching into the story of dragons and sword-wielding knights on horseback. He knew it was Sirius before his chair stopped swivelling. 

Less awkward than he'd been the first day he'd gotten home, Sirius stood in the doorway swaying slightly. His sun-kissed skin was gloomed in the low light of Regulus' room, the blue-greys of his eyes more anxious, black hair more droopy at his shoulders. With his hands tucked behind him fidgeting, Regulus could see his wand peeking out. The curiosity spiked without warning. The last time he saw Sirius' wand was also the first and only time, last year after he'd gotten back from his trip to Diagon Alley. As his memory served, it was a 15" dark reed wood wand, thicker at the handle and thinner at the tip. 

"I just... I just wanted to ask if maybe you'd thought about what I said, you know, since last time." His gaze was fixated on the ceiling this time. "Perhaps this summer made you think... about what you want."

Sirius' tone lightened and grew more confident, a trickle of humour dropping in as a small smile made its way onto his face. 

He stepped forward, seemed to contemplate something for a moment, then shut the door behind him. He stepped forwards again. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Regulus missed this. The way Sirius was able to guess his younger brother's mood so easily and just how playful he could act. The way they bantered. 

"You haven't said anything at all to me, since... well, you know when. But I don't see what is _so bad_ , Reggie-" 

"Don't call me that."

"-it isn't like you have a _great_ relationship with mother and father either-"

"Careful, you might summon them."

"-and you never liked Bellatrix or Narcissa either-"

"I like Andromeda."

"-and you know you won't find friends in Slytherin, and yeah it does kinda suck when they keep calling you a blood traitor but you get over it soon enough-"

"Not easy to get over."

"-wouldn't it be cool to just _defy_ mother and father for once? Not do what they've bred you into?"

"It would cause more problems."

"-and we can stand against them _together_ , as Gryffindors."

"A very basic house, really."

"-you _know_ you want to."

A pause. 

And the problem wasn't because Sirius had irritated him, but rather that Regulus _did_ know that he wanted to, even after trying to force himself into turning against his brother the entire summer. As he pleased his parents and created the expectation that he'd be sorted into Slytherin. As he was so _angry_ about how Sirius had left him alone, in an environment he could barely live in already. 

And yet he still wanted to do exactly as Sirius asked.

A sudden pop as Kreacher apparated inside Regulus' room, promptly announcing that Walburga expected them at the fireplace. He apparated out of the room after a suspicious glance towards Sirius, leaving the two brothers alone again. 

Regulus stood hastily, grabbing a list from his desk and sending a pissy glance towards Sirius. "I do _not_ want to be in any house but Slytherin. Stop hassling me."

Leaving his brother in his room, Regulus marched down the hallway to the living room where the fireplace lived, greeting his mother and taking the handful of Floo powder from Kreacher. Sirius joined them a second later.

Regulus had already known, had _always_ known that he didn't want to be in Slytherin. He just didn't know if he was going to end up there or not. 

With that, Regulus stepped into the grand fireplace, announced his destination proudly - something he'd been wanting to do for _so_ long now - and travelled by Floo Network onto the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> < i will be editing the previous chapter along with this as there are some slight changes ive made >
> 
> im not great at writing tone so have fun with that  
> interpret it as u do  
> that is all yay okay


	3. Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus' first time to Diagon Alley, Sirius' second  
> first appearances of James and Remus  
> 

Diagon Alley was teeming with wizards and witches; students were preparing for their soon departure to Hogwarts, parents accompanied their first-grade children and shop keepers and workers hurried to get tasks done. The atmosphere was cheerful and lively, smiles and laugher reflecting the weather of the sunny, cloudless day.

As Regulus appeared at the mouth of the alley, in one of the Floo fireplaces, he gasped as the colours, sounds and smells rushed through his senses. This was his first trip to Diagon Alley, as his parents believed it unnecessary to have brought him last year with Sirius. He knew how his parents loathed the joyful environment. _"Filled with muggleborns and blood-traitors, hardly respecting the last few pureblood families in their midst,"_ his mother would say at the mention of Diagon Alley.

Shops in Diagon Alley continued to thrive year-round, but the week before the new school year the Hogwarts students would swarm in all of a sudden, collecting new textbooks and stationery, robes and wands, pets and broomsticks. And of course, money, from Gringotts Bank. 

From the fireplace next to him, he saw his mother step forward and he too did the same, joining her side as did Sirius. Together they worked in silent unison through the throngs of sorcerers, to the bank which stood in the middle of the alley at the far end. As they neared, Regulus took in a breath, his eyes trailing upward as he became aware of the sheer magnificence of its size and beauty. 

Sirius had not lied when he told him, last year, of Diagon Alley. How could his parents not appreciate this? This _happiness_ , this _peace_. Needless to say, he already knew the answer. 

The steps to the bank were marble white, as was the rest of the pillars, canopy and walls. It seemed to glow, to radiate an energy of wealth and purity. Regulus was in awe. The interior was even more grand, a tremendous crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling, which seemed so much further away than what Regulus expected. _An extension charm perhaps_ , he thought. Linings of gold encircled the floor in minuscule floral patterns, glistening in the light like melted fire. There were two long rows of marble counters, piling stacks of golden galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts. And behind each stack was, oddly enough, goblins. 

Regulus had never seen a goblin before in person, though his brother had once described them as short, gruesome demons with ugly squashed faces. Indeed, they had waxy warts-covered skin, big pointed noses and beady eyes. Their teeth were yellow and crooked, as were their nails.

His mother speedily approached the goblin at the very end of the two rows, sitting on his own private countertop with scrolls of inked and fresh parchment. Regulus showed up behind her a moment later, with Sirius trailing slightly further behind. 

"What may I do for you today, Mistress Black?" the goblin asked. He wore glasses and a more analytical, calculating look than the other goblins did. 

"I'd like to open the new vault for my youngest, Regulus, as we talked about. I'll also have my other son's vault opened. 782 and 865." Her voice was clipped but held no disrespect for the goblin. 

The goblin nodded slowly, before ushering forward a smaller, assumably younger, goblin from behind him. "Gornuk will assist you to these vaults, as long as you have the keys?"

Walburga nodded sharply and turned to Gornuk who had begun walking past the foyer counters, opening a door that hadn't been there mere seconds ago. There was a damp and slimy tunnel, which then opened up to an enormous cave. Again, Regulus looked around in awe, finding it so fantastically impressive. Behind him, he could tell Sirius was looking at him in the usual brotherly way he did when Regulus found something remarkable. 

The four of them made onto a small car on metal structures - similar to the muggle 'rollercoasters' - with Gornuk steering at the front. It drove fast, speeding through the caves and showing off its widths and depths. In less than a few minutes they had reached vault 782. Sirius' vault. He stood up as Gornuk did, offering the goblin his key. Regulus didn't see the amount of money Sirius had in his vault, but he came out quite easily with a bag that he held in between his hands, jingling with coins. 

Once again, Gornuk steered the car deeper underground, to vault 865. Regulus' vault. His mother stood with him, offering the key to the goblin. As the vault opened, Regulus noted that it was bigger than Sirius', but not terribly so. His mother entered first, and he second. Bags of money were piled around the vault so that only a small amount of standing space was actually present. 

"You can take a small bag for this and next year, Regulus - plus another small bag to buy your school supplies today. Then in third, when you are allowed on the Hogsmeade trips-", this his mother sneered a little to, "-you may take two of the smaller. Each bag will have galleons, sickles and knuts." She picked up two small bags, the same as what Sirius had carried, and held it out invitingly to Regulus. He went to take it but at the last second she pulled back.

"May I remind you that this is through the generosity of your father. Though this vault is now yours forever, there remains a _much_ larger vault to the name of Black. And hopefully, either you - or your brother - will inherit this." She smiled in acid-sweetness before leaning and whispering into his ear, " _and we both know who_ that _will be_."

* * *

After leaving the bank again, Walburga turned to Regulus and, implying that he was certainly capable of purchasing his equipment on his own, left for the Floo fireplaces. It was mid-morning now, and as he watched his mother disaparate in green flames, he sighed in contentment. 

"Do you... want to meet my, uh, friends?" Sirius spoke behind him. Reminded that he too had a voice, Regulus clipped sarcastically, "Of course, Sirius. I'd just _love_ to meet your friends." Then he whipped out his list and, leaving Sirius stranded at the entrance of Gringotts, flew down the stairs and into the crowds of sorcerers. 

Only, he had no idea where anything was, because he was so unbelievably short and so many people had him feeling like the air was tightening around his lungs, throat closing up and tongue getting drier. _No_ , he thought, _I am not going to have a panic attack here_. 

He pushed against the crowds, inching his way to the sides of the alley and into the first store he could find. The bell rang above him as he stepped in, giving a welcoming chime. Immediately, the smell of old and new books drifted to him and he took in the many bookshelves and stacks of books surrounding him. _Flourish and Blotts Bookseller_ , he called to mind. 

It was as if he were already home. 

* * *

By noon Regulus had purchased almost everything on his list, which he kept on a trolley waiting outside the shops. He had about eight books that were compulsory, but in seeing some of the cheap prices bought another five for recreational reading. He had parchment, quills and inks, a telescope, cauldron, scales and basic potions ingredients, as well as his fitted robes. 

It was a strange experience, the tape measure moving and bending of its own accord, around Regulus' small body. The fitter had sent him on his way for the hour, and when Regulus returned, his Hogwarts uniform was floating midair with a name tag lying atop the pile. 

The only things he hadn't yet found the courage to enter _Ollivanders_ , the wand store. He was holding out for it to be the last thing he collected, even as the other shops become even more crowded, spiking Regulus' anxiety. He'd always been socially awkward, much to the confusion of his easygoing brother who somehow found it easy to strike up a light conversation with every stranger who passed by. 

If he wanted, he was also allowed to buy a pet. Sirius, luckily, had opted not to last year, as he was forgetful and clumsy around caring for animals. Regulus preferred the company of a pet to a person yet what indecisive on picking which animal. Toads were definitely out of the question, as they were, in his opinion, a slimy disgrace to the global animal population. The option of cats against owls, though, was debatable. 

As he sat down besides his trolley in the shade, Regulus made a mind list of pros and cons of either animal:

_Cats hardly need maintaining, and are fine company._

_Still, so are owls._

_Owls will poop on you._

_Cats will not._

_Cats rub their fur everywhere until nothing you own is free from it._

_Owls don't just drop off their feathers every minute._

_Plus, they send letters. Obviously._

In the end, he ended up choosing for an owl. Curious, he opened his eyes to view the magical pets store from afar. He did then, the blinding light making him wince and flinch back against it. When he was able to see clearly, without black blobs at the edges of his vision, he looked up and turned around to look down the alley, almost crashing into the crotch of his brother. 

"Woah, Reggie. Easy there," Sirius chuckled, easing Regulus' shoulders back. "As you requested-", Sirius smiled cheekily, "-my friends, James Potter and Remus Lupin." 

Regulus became aware of the two boys that stood a foot behind his brother. One of them was weirdly tall and scrawny, with dirty blonde hair and _scars_. The scars, besides his height, was the most notable thing about the boy. There were three at the neck and one across the middle of his face. 

The other boy was shorter, though still evidently taller than Sirius. He had messy, untamed black hair, and startlingly hazel eyes behind a pair of round, inexpensive spectacles. His skin was a warm brown, and the shape of his facial features all indicated south-east Asian descent. He recalled the name _James Potter_ and attached it to him, remembering that the Potter's were a pureblood line from India that had migrated to the UK in recent years. 

If that boy were Potter, then - and he flicked his eyes back to the scarred boy - he was Remus Lupin.

"Aren't you a half-blood?" Regulus asked bluntly after a moment of silence.

Sirius' eyes widened. Of all reactions, he hadn't expected this. Remus, on the other hand, didn't look too fazed. "Yes," he said in a raspy but not unpleasant voice. "My mother was muggleborn, and my father a pureblood."

Regulus hummed his response. He didn't say anything else, until Sirius asked whether he'd eaten or not. He answered without thinking, regretting right away when his brother's face lit up. "You can eat with us! And get to know James and Remus... better." Out of boredom and the painful state of loneliness, Regulus agreed, settling the apprehensive look Sirius had. 

He stood and went to grab his trolley of supplies. "I'll... take this home first though. So I'm not lugging it around."

Without checking whether Sirius believed he would come back or not, Regulus turned in the opposite direction of the cafes that the three boys were heading in, and wheeled his trolley to the Floo fireplaces. He was back in less than a minute, having handed his luggage to Kreachur. 

Sighing, he headed in the direction of his brother Sirius, and the presumedly poor added company of James Potter and Remus Lupin. Although he didn't necessary care for their company, it was certainly better than that of his mother and father back home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another bad chapter <3
> 
> ive made it longer yet again  
> coz i dont know how to *** paaace myseeeelf ***


	4. Ollivander's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lunch conversation with Sirius, James and Remus  
> Regulus buys his wand

Regulus stared hard at the menu. He was leaned back in his chair, menu held directly in front of his face. In front of him sat James he knew, and Sirius to his left, Remus to his right. 

_Why did he agree to this?_

A soft snicker came from in front of him, and he slowly lowered his menu just enough to stare into the hazel eyes of James. He couldn't see his full face, but he could tell he was smiling, amused by Regulus' behaviour. 

Regulus swiftly jerked his menu back to cover his face. 

"You ready to order, Reggie?" Sirius asked. He too had that stupid amused tone in his voice. Sirius knew Regulus was awkward around strangers, and therefore enjoyed every moment of these first meetings. 

Regulus cautiously dropped his menu to the table. "Not super hungry, actually." He was embarrassed and felt a warm tingling sensation at the back of his neck. 

_Why was he like this?_

Sirius cocked his head to the side. He waved the waiter over to order, reciting James' and Remus' orders despite them not even having looked at their menus. Regulus remembered the echoing silences from Sirius' room almost everyday. He was humiliated with himself, to merely assume Sirius hadn't left continuously to meet his friends throughout the summer. 

Sirius then picked up a menu, his eyes scanning for something interesting. "And I'll have a... _hmm_... sandwich. Whatever you got - just pile it on. Actually just put as much stuff as you can onto it and just squish it. Y'know? Yeah. Also a, uh, vegetarian pie."

James' chuckled and Remus smiled toothily, glancing at each other like this had happened a thousand times before. _Perhaps it has_ , a voice at a corner of Regulus' mind stated bitterly. He pushed it back. 

"Oh - and four pumpkin juices!" Sirius called out as the waiter retreated back inside the cafe. 

Left alone again, and menus gone, a hush fell over the group, though it was only uncomfortable for Regulus, who kept his eyes trained on his fidgeting fingers, scrutinising them like he'd never seen them before. The others were looking at each other in silent conversation, smirking. Something was decided and Remus leaned forward, resting his elbows on the small rickety table. 

"So... Regulus-" Regulus liked Remus' voice. It was... _sexy._ "-you got your wand yet? Mine's a 10 and quarter inch, cypress wood with unicorn hair. I remember going into Ollivander's last year. Took me half an hour to find the right wand."

"Is that a normal amount of time to spend in there?" Regulus asked quietly, curiously. He was afraid to pick out his wand, to be truthful. Sirius had resin wood with phoenix feather core, and it was so majestic the last time Regulus saw it. He didn't want his wand to be _ugly_ or perhaps just not as interesting sounding as the rest of his family's. His mother's was elm, with a dragon heart string core. His father's was yew wood, with the same core. His cousins he knew to also have rare and elegant wands; he didn't want to come out with a common wood and _definitely_ not a unicorn hair core. He knew that to be weak in the dark arts, and though this area didn't engross him in the way it did his parents, he knew they'd be disappointed. 

"Well, not really. I mean, some kids come out with the first wand Ollivander gives them. Only the common wands though. The more unique your magic is, the longer you end up staying in there usually," he replied. "Not that people with common wand combinations aren't unique-" he rushed to say, "-just that most people are a bit more specific. Some kids have stayed in for hours. There was even a boy a few years ago that was asked to come back the next day, but it turns out he was a bit of a squib. Hardly any magic in him."

_Great_ , Regulus thought. _More complications. Am I unique? I should have a lot of magic in me, I'm a pureblood._

Sirius noticed the troubled look on his brother's face. He tensed a bit as though he was about to say something, and then the waiter was back with the food. James and Remus took their dishes, and Sirius was already diving into his sandwich when he also shoved the pie in front of Regulus. 

Regulus stared at it in question. "I said I wasn't hungry," he claimed, an accusatory tone underlying his words. 

"You're never hungry. Still gotta eat." Sirius said in between mouthfuls of food. 

James halted his chewing for a second, and Remus took a long sip of his pumpkin juice through a straw. The three of them subtlety eyed Regulus as he picked at the food. Regulus hadn't exactly lied when he said he wasn't hungry. He wasn't _feeling_ hungry, but his stomach also really did need to consume something. These days he never seemed to be hungry, forgetting to eat lunches often until Kreachur would bring it to his room cold. That was the only mealtime not spent at the table with his mother and father, the one time he could somewhat abuse his small amount of freedom. 

Now he used a fork to poke the pie at the edges, scooping out a small amount of the vegetable mush inside. His first thought was that it wasn't bad, the second that it was good. He grabbed another small forkful, eating slowly before looking up and meeting the gazes of the three boys. 

Catching his eyes they each resumed their eating. It was almost like they were his brothers, all of them, just the way Sirius was. Even though James and Remus had never met him before, they seemed to actually care for Regulus. Perhaps this is what Sirius meant when he wanted Regulus to have friends that _actually_ cared about him. He supposed it would be nice for once, to socialise with more than the only two somewhat thoughtful beings in his house. 

They continued to eat their meals, beginning a conversation about quidditch and new pranks they could pull on the first years. Regulus didn't speak but was content. He ate the rest of his pie happily. 

* * *

"You going into Ollivander's now?" Sirius asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin as they all stood from the table. 

Regulus nodded. He was still apprehensive, but with a full meal in his belly, it was less than it'd been before. 

'We'll wait outside for you," Sirius slung his arm around Regulus, who was about a head shorter than he was - something he was always a bit insecure about. "Right guys?" James and Remus grinned and strolled beside the pair to the wand shop. As they stopped, James messed up Regulus' hair jokingly from behind him. _Like a friend._

"Nothing to be anxious about. It's kinda fun. You only do get to experience this once. Also we _will_ be waiting like right here, by the way. Observing and analysing everything that happens. So no pressure." They all chuckled then, and moved away from Regulus. He gulped, staring upwards at the sign _Ollivander's ,_ and then below, to the glass door and windows that showcased the many shelves inside. 

Jerking out of his frozen state, he found the courage to move his feet and walk up to the door, pushing it open and letting the bell ring out. The shop smelled strange, like so many trees and winds and animals had been compressed inside it. He moved to the countertop. 

"Hello?" Nobody answered. "Hello?" he said again, a bit louder. 

There was a _whoosh_ and a sliding ladder appeared in front of him, carrying an ageing man with grey hair and spiky eyebrows. Regulus assumed the man was Ollivander. 

"I'm here to buy a wand. I'll be off to Hogwarts in a few days." Regulus explained, though of course the shop owner already understood. He assessed Regulus' physical appearance for a moment, then without a word disappeared again into the shelves. 

Regulus didn't say anything. 

"You must be Regulus Black then, boy. Yes?" The wandmaker's head popped out in an empty space on a shelf. Regulus nodded hastily. "I remember your brother, Sirius, last year. That is him outside, offering the commentary of yourself, I suppose?"

Regulus swivelled on his heels, glaring through the window at his brother who was, in fact, seemingly making guesses and jokes about Regulus. He turned back to Ollivander, rolling his eyes. 

"Yes, him and James Potter and Remus Lupin."

"Hmm. Trouble makers, those three. Heard many stories of their mischief at Hogwarts." Regulus indeed had heard of their infamous pranks. Many, he knew, were on a select few of Slytherins. He wondered that, if he were sorted into Slytherin, would his brother play those pranks on him. 

"Here we are, then. Let's try these to begin with. I believe we might be here for a bit of time." Ollivander came to the counter again, carefully placing down about ten different wand boxes. He opened the first, holding out the wand for Regulus. It was light brown and curvy, very chunky at the handle. 

He stared at it. 

"Well, do something," Ollivander suggested lightly. "Wave it around, flick it at an object."

He did then, flicking the wand at a glass vase he noticed behind Ollivander. Glass shattered all around behind him, the windows and doors bursting inwards. The vase remained intact on the wall. 

"Huh. Curious," the man muttered. "Curious, curious, curious." Without bothering to with the shattered glass, he took the wand from Regulus' grip, sealed it back into its box and opened another. Regulus took this one, a lighter wood with floral patterns. He flicked it at the vase again. 

The one flower inside it shrieked. 

"Well, no. Not that one, definitely not that." The wand was hurriedly taken from him and the shrieking stopped. They could hear the laughter from Sirius outside. 

The next eight wands were similar. Different woods, different weights, different outcomes. He made everything from the counter slide off, the water in a jug splatter, a flame of a candle grow dangerously. Though he found one wand to be particularly beautiful, Ollivander only took it out of his hand again and shoved another in. Soon the first eight were moved back into the shelves and a longer time was spent bringing out another lot. 

They did just the same thing. 

Regulus must have been in that shop for at least an hour if not more, because he was made aware that the sun was beginning to set long shadows on the ground. This didn't seem to concern the wandmaker at first. More wand boxes were taken out and put back in, more broken vases and glass and mess and shrieking things. It was as if Regulus had just about gone through all of the shelves. 

At first he'd felt _unique_ as Remus said, but soon he was weary and tired and lacking hope. 

_What if he was a bit of a squib? What if he didn't actually have much magic and no wands matched with him? What if he wasn't meant to be a powerful wizard like Sirius and his parents?_

The questions continued. Though he no longer heard as much noise from his brother on the bench across the alley, he knew the three of them were still there. He didn't want to think about how kind Sirius was being, like he was trying to persuade Regulus over to Gryffindor. He hated to admit it, but he thought perhaps it was working. This was, despite still a long and exhausting day, the most fun he'd had in weeks. 

It seemed like Ollivander too was getting tired. As he spent longer time scanning shelves for boxes, Regulus - for some reason - decided to venture beyond the countertop and into the shelves himself. The shop was larger than he thought, the shelves extending far back, with hundreds on each. There was a workbench on one side, with wood shavings and sealed boxes of wand cores, and a few wands in progress. 

There was another though, a darker grey-black wand with an aesthetic symmetrical shape that Regulus adored. The end of the hilt was triangular, a diamond-shaped hole carved within it. There were a few curves along the rest of the hilt, and then a thinning finish, the wood streaking long and smooth.

It had an energy, an aura that Regulus couldn't place. It was so _beautiful_ , so _flawless_. It seemed to call to Regulus, ask him to hold it, to give this wand a try. And he would've, had he not become aware of Ollivander's lingering presence behind him. 

Regulus whipped his arm back, mortified. "I-I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking, I swear, I just came around because you were gone a bit longer than usual, and- well-". He was cut off by the impressed look on the wandmaker's face, the relaxed and calm intrigue. 

"You want to give that wand _a wave, Regulus_ _Black_?" His voice was skeptical but excited, lower and quieter. Regulus nodded. The wandmaker nodded sharply and grabbed the grey wand, taking him once again to the counter in the front of the shop. He gestured to Regulus. 

Tense and uneasy by the way he was being watched, he took the wand that seemed to call out to him. 

And it was perfect. The light weight, its beauty, the way it seemed to just _connect_ with Regulus. He didn't even notice as a breeze entered the shop, picking up every small piece of glass and returning it to the windows, the door, the vases. The water droplets floated back into the jugs, the flowers bloomed nicely. Everything was restored to its order as it had been when he came in. 

He looked up, into the wandmaker's curious eyes. "This one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter yay me


	5. King's Cross Station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last added details of Ollivander's experience  
> King's Cross Station  
> first appearance of Lily Evans

"Are you... sure, boy?" Ollivander sounded victorious for having won a wand over finally, but there was a hesitant, cautious edge to his voice, like there was something he wasn't sure about. 

"Yes. This one, it has to be. I- it just- it feels right."

Ollivander nodded his head like he knew the feeling. His lips were still parted, eyes still wide.

"It is expensive though- very, actually. I did not actually make that wand myself, you must understand Mr. Black. It was sent from a wandmaker in the Carribean Sea. There's much more aquatic creatures around that part, Bermuda Triangle as the muggles call the area," he gestured wildly almost like he was panicking, unsure of the situation. Regulus himself felt a bit intimidated by the other wizard's stress. 

"And, well. I only work with three wand cores: dragon heartstring, phoenix feather and unicorn hair. Simple enough to get around these parts and without too much hassle. And not such a wide variety of rare woods, too. And you see, this wand, well- it's grey alder with a sirens' hair core. Very special, a rare combination anywhere. Best I could do would be twenty-five galleons, to be perfectly honest. Terribly apologetic for the high price, but... well-"

Regulus cut him off by digging into the two pouches he carried. The one he'd been using all day for his supplies was low now, enough to buy an ordinary wand. But Regulus didn't want an ordinary wand. He dug into the other bag, knowing it would mean he wouldn't be able to bribe the older kids into buying him candy and books from Hogsmeade so much. Yet this thought was so low on his priorities now. 

Silenced by the jingling of coins, Ollivander watched Regulus slide the twenty-five galleons onto the table. 

As Regulus slowly backed away holding the wand box in his hands like it were the most precious thing in his world, he turned back to Ollivander to give his parting greetings. There was a bit of a line outside of sorts, first years with their parents standing in odd corners of the street watching Regulus leave the shop. The closest surged forward, entering the shop as though they'd been waiting eons. 

Ahead of him, Sirius grinned at his brother, slowly stretching and standing up from the bench. Beside him, Remus had been half asleep and jolted awake by the movement. He and James stood as well then, looking at Regulus expectantly. 

"Well then, let's have it. Been waiting a bloody two hours for this, better be good." 

Regulus just grinned, uncertainly at first and then wide, like he was so proud to finally be a true wizard. He opened the wand box, showcasing his elegant possession. They awed and even a few onlookers gaped.

"Magnificent, that is. I've never seen that colour of wood for a wand. What is it?" Remus asked kindly. 

Regulus smiled.

* * *

Alone in his room, Regulus smiled faintly as he twisted his wand in his hands. 

He still could hardly believe it. Him, _him_ , with such a beautiful and powerful and rare wand. Him, to have such a unique magic flowing through him. He'd done some magic, a few charms and easy jinxes on Sirius, tripping him over or messing a strand of hair. He didn't let Sirius know it was him, obviously. It was fun though, playing pranks on the prankster. The other charms he read in his textbooks, like keeping a paper bird flying through the air, lifting a piece of rubbish into the bin, breaking and repairing the same thing over and over. 

Wizards aren't meant to practise magic outside of school, especially during the summer, but first years were sometimes overlooked in their giddiness and newfound obsessions. Regulus had looked through the rest of his textbooks as well, especially the potions book which his mother enforced him to read the most. Although he quite liked it and found it to be an intriguing subject, he had found a passion for charms and astronomy. 

He'd always loved star-gazing, always enjoyed hearing the muggles' and wizards' takes on astrology and astronomy and what the stars meant. He himself was named after a star, as was Sirius, yet he was the one to develop an interest for it. 

At this point in time, those textbooks - along with his clothes and other school supplies, added books, various recreational and necessary items, and so on - were locked away in his trunk. It sat on the right of him on the floor, so mute and unmoving and attentive. Waiting.

He was scared. Today was the day of the departure to Hogwarts, a train ride he knew to be about eight hours. And after that, the sorting ceremony. 

In the last week, Sirius had become so suddenly interesting and kind, as if he'd remembered he was still trying to win over his younger brother, for Regulus to _not_ join Slytherin. And so far, it _had_ partly worked but he needn't let his brother know that. 

A screech cut through the air, startling him. Regulus looked up to the owl in his room that sat in its coop, door open. 

"Hey, Hermes," Regulus stood and walked to the brown owl, its feathers tawny and shimmery. "We'll be going soon, sorry for the wait. I'm a bit... anxious."

Regulus had finally found someone to endure his sessions of stress and overthinking. Over the last week he'd been outdoing the ageing family owl, sending letters fast and smoothly. At day he stood in the bar of his coop sleeping, sometimes waking to watch Regulus magic a pair of robes into his trunk. 

There was a knock at his door and his mother appeared, stern-faced. "Regulus, notify your brother that we will be leaving for King's Cross Station in five minutes. Make sure he's packed everything - unlike last year." She shut the door without awaiting a response and he sighed, leaving his room.

Sirius had not packed. He was chucking in his second pair of robes into his trunk when Regulus entered the room. One look from his younger brother and Sirius panicked further. 

"Please help me, Reggie. I can't find where I put my potions book. I know I left it here somewhere, I swear I brought it in the other day from Diagon!"

Regulus smiled in amusement. Sirius was crouched looking under his bed, scruffing at piles of rubbish. The potions book, Regulus saw, was on the end of his bed, half hidden below the edge of a sheet. 

"End of the bed, Siri. We leave in five. You need any help?" he asked with a light-hearted sarcastic edge to his voice. Sirius scoffed, scruffing at the rubbish piles on the ends of the bed. Regulus rolled his eyes, took a long stride to the bed, picking up the book and slapping his brother with it. 

* * *

Regulus had come to King's Cross Station only once before, last year when Sirius left for his first year. As he stood on the platform alongside the other bustling students and proud parents, he thought about what Sirius must've thought of. That in this moment, one year ago, Sirius' only thought was to _not_ be sort into Slytherin, despite their family legacy in the house. Regulus, too, wondered this, inattentively listening to his mother sneer at the muggleborn students to his father. 

"Sirius! Oh, hey- Regulus." James and Remus emerged from the chaos, looking cautiously at Walburga and Orion. Luckily, they weren't paying attention, and the Black brothers teared away from them. 

"So, Reggie, you going to sit with us on the way there today? I mean, most first years are pretty lonesome without siblings but finding friends on the trains is overrated. Half the time they get sort into different houses and you never talk again." Remus rambled on, but Regulus didn't mind. He didn't even mind it when he called him _Reggie,_ which only Sirius ever did. Remus' voice was so pleasant and they way he stood, how he held a clearly just-purchased book in one hand, everything about the way the light seemed to shine through his hair... 

It made Regulus feel something. 

He considered Remus' offer, then, to sit in a compartment with his brother and his two friends. It didn't seem so bad - eight hours next to Remus, listening to him talk. He nodded slightly, not answering verbally. 

Just then, he saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye and turned, meeting the gaze of a girl. Her hair was a dark, royal red, splayed over milky skin splattered with freckles. She was the type of person that you knew would become more and more beautiful as they aged, and Regulus was transfixed, admiring her.

The girl broke their gaze, looking away. He noticed there was a boy standing next to her, taller, dark haired and looking not at all troubled. Perhaps he wasn't a first year; the girl too definitely seemed Regulus' age and much differing in looks to the boy. 

Sirius' arm swung around Regulus' and he led them to the end of the platform where they dumped their trunks. Regulus picked up Hermes' coop and a book he'd kept out to read. Still with his arm around his brother, Sirius steered them to a door on the train, letting James and Remus head in first. He went then, looking over the crowd grinning. 

Regulus took the two steps up, hardly looking over the crowd even with the raised platform. He was so short, but his father was tall and he was able to spot his parents thirty metres away. He waved; his father catching his eye and nodding. That was all Regulus needed to head inside, following Sirius.

They eventually found an empty compartment, with seats enough to sit six full-grown students. At their small age and tiny sizes, they lay sprawled out, Regulus with his brother and James by Remus. Regulus felt weird seeing James lean his head on Remus' leg, who just laughed and looked up at the ceiling. Hermes' coop was opened and lay on the floor, next to Regulus who was the only one sat normally, feeling tense and jittery. Sirius was lying upside down, his hair falling to the ground and feet resting up on the walls. 

The others didn't seem to catch Regulus' anxiety until the train began, gathering speed as they left muggle London and headed far out into the rural countryside. They passed a wide river and Regulus glances out the window, fixated on the lapping water. Without a second thought he asked out of the blue, "how am I meant to know which house I want to be in?"

The three others looked up then, Remus from his book, and James and Sirius from their conversation on quidditch. 

They all exchanged a glance with each other, as if perhaps they'd rehearsed a speech. Remus began first. 

"What do you value, Reg?" A genuine question. 

He didn't know and said as much.

"Do you prefer kindness or knowledge?"

"Knowledge."

"Do you prefer knowledge or courage?"

"Knowledge."

"Do you prefer knowledge or ambition?"

He pondered this for a moment. "Ambition."

James, Remus and Sirius exchanged another glance, a worried expression. This wasn't going to plan. 

Sirius spoke then, sourly and pissed off.

"Answer _this_ now. Do you rather kindness or _deceit_?"

Regulus frowned, puzzled. "Kindness."

"Do you rather wisdom or _deceit_?"

"Wisdom."

"And do you rather bravery or _deceit_?"

"Bravery."

"So, look at that-" his voice was bitter and he enunciated his words rudely. "-you don't want to be in Slytherin."

Regulus widened his eyes. He hadn't realised this was about _that_. Remus too seemed put off by Sirius' mood swing, reaching out to him. But by now Regulus was also annoyed at his brother.

"So _what_ if I want to be in Slytherin, Sirius? Geez. My god, you make it sound like they're all terrible people-"

"Yeah, 'cause they _are_."

"-no, they _aren't_! It's not all about deceit and backstabbing, you know. There's ambition, sophistication!"

"My _god_ Reggie! Sophistication, really? You're a Black, you're a pureblood, you want to make mummy and daddy proud-", to this he used an immature mocking voice, "-sure. But they do _not_ give a shit about you, Reg. They'll chew and spit you right out, those Slytherins. And all that goddamn _prejudice_ -"

"It isn't my fault they're like that!"

"Well so many of them are and you'd be in the thick of it! You're a Black, you'd be forced into a group with the worst of the lot, and you know it! Why can't you just be like me, in Gryffindor? What is _so bad_ about it? You've met my friends-", he gestured to James and Remus who flinched back like they didn't want to be caught in the middle of a family fight, "-and you know _so damn well_ you won't find anyone like them in Slytherin."

He went silent, fuming and panting a bit from his outburst. But it was Regulus' turn now, and he spoke calmly and lethally, voice slicing through the air like a dagger. 

"Believe it or not _brother_ , I don't just turn my back on my family. For someone so _brave_ and _noble_ you didn't seem to give a shit about me last year." Regulus stood abruptly, grabbed Hermes' coop then and closed it, exiting the compartment. Tears sprung to his eyes but he refused to let them go because of his brother. 

He walked down the hallway looking into compartments. Most were full, with either first or higher grade students. Everyone seemed to have found their niche of people already, and Regulus, who had stupidly believed his brother and his dumb friends, didn't even know a single person in his grade. Thankfully, when he felt like collapsing into a heap on the floor, he peered into a compartment with only two people - coincidentally the girl and boy from the platform. 

They saw him staring in and the girl lit up brightly, smiling and beckoning him in. The boy, now that Regulus saw him closer, seemed... well, _ugly_. They definitely weren't related. 

Taking a leap of faith, Regulus slid open the compartment door and sat in the seat opposite the boy, next to the girl. 

"Hi..." Regulus' voice wobbled and he shook himself out of it. "I'm Regulus Black."

The boy's eyes widened a bit and he answered first. "Severus Snape. This is Lily Evans, my neighbour and friend."

Regulus had heard the name Snape. He knew Severus to be in the year level above him, with Sirius. He also knew Sirius and his friends to bully him. 

The girl - Lily - held out her hand to shake his. "I'm a muggleborn, by the way. So you wouldn't have heard of me before." She giggled, cutely, then blushed. " _Muggles._ Severus told me about that word a couple years ago. So funny it is. And this is my first year at Hogwarts too," she added. 

"Mine as well!"

"Really? What house do you think you'll get sorted into? Since Sev is in Slytherin I was hoping perhaps I might go there as well." 

Severus smiled at this, a bit more proud than perhaps necessary. Regulus smiled too, letting down his guard a bit more. 

_If she was to be in Slytherin, then we might be friends,_ he thought. _Good friends, just as much as James and Remus are to Sirius._

He spent the rest of the train ride with them. Sirius didn't look for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaa
> 
> ok so obviously i have no sense of pace and my chapter titles hardly even work with the actual chapter content at this point
> 
> point for harper


	6. Hogwarts Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts Castle  
> does not include the Sorting Ceremony

Disrupting the quiet and meditative atmosphere of the compartment, there was a grinding of wheels against the rails, slowing the speed of the train. 

The abrupt noise startled Regulus, who'd been leaning against the window watching as raindrops raced each other down the glass pane. As the sky had darkened hours ago, the clouds thickened and it begun to rain. It was soothing, the pattering on the roof of the train, the occasional boom of thunder and white lightning illuminating the sky. The compartment was warm and chilly at the same time, seats covered in an array of discarded lolly rubbish. 

As he uncurled from his position, Lily did the same on the end of their shared seat, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms and legs forwards. Severus sat up straight from his supine position, closing his book shut. 

Together they looked around and at their dark settings outside, Regulus and Lily rather anxiously, for this was their first year at Hogwarts and while during the lengthy train journey they'd been able to relax and think of more interesting topics, the Sorting Ceremony was much shorter away than they'd want to believe. 

Even as the both of them had outwardly decided to settle in Slytherin, where Severus had been placed last year, the both of them happened to know secretly it wasn't where they truly belonged. For Lily, she knew she could never be the cunning type; she would never step on another person to get ahead. And for Regulus, he knew that even as he was ambitious, it was not power he seeked. 

Despite their internal concerns, both Regulus and Lily kept to themselves. It had made Severus fairly happy, hearing that he now had two friends who'd be in his own house. 

Hearing this, Regulus thought it was rather absurd - Severus was in the grade above he and Lily. Did he not already have friends? Was Lily really the only friend he had? Of course he knew how he was bullied, and by his own brother no less, but perhaps there was a reason, if so many others didn't like him...

No matter. There were bigger matters now. 

Gradually the train began to squeal to a stop. Squinting out the window beyond the fog that had built on the glass, he saw in the dim light of the platform a sign: _Hogsmeade Station_. 

* * *

"First years! This way please! All first years this way!" A lanky old man in shabby robes was holding a lantern at the corner of the platform, away from where the older students seemed to be heading. 

Regulus looked to him as he stepped off the train, holding Hermes' coop and the book he'd finished in the early hours of the journey. He and Lily looked to Severus who only nodded at them unhelpfully in farewell before stalking off, dark greasy hair flapping in the wet breeze. 

Staring after him, Regulus caught the eye of his brother accidentally. At once they both stiffened, both clearly apologetic and regretful but stubborn. Lily tugged on his arm and he turned his back on his brother. 

The first years were a small group of about forty students, all unsure and fidgeting with something in their hands or rocking from side to side on the balls of their feet. Some stood with others just as Regulus with Lily, having found somebody to befriend. 

The man - Ogg, as he called himself - began to announce names from a list on floppy parchment. When he was satisfied that no first years had been lost to the train or bigger group of older students, he turned and headed down a discrete pathway off the station, calling after him to follow. 

They did then, jumping over puddles and staining their shoes with mud. The path led to a swampy side of a river, mud becoming course sand and rock. As they neared, a queue of small wooden rowing boats came into view. 

Ogg gestured to the group of students, waving for them to get onto the boats with a grunt. 

Spooked from the eery surroundings, the first years all boarded the boats, four to each. In Regulus and Lily's there were two other girls who had smiled nervously at the pair as they stepped in on wobbly feet. 

As a collective the first years looked to Ogg who mumbled something unheard and incoherent, moving the boats from their still positions. Oarless and without any help from their riders, each of the boats navigated their way out of the swamp and along a widening river. 

Regulus found it to be beautiful - ominous, but beautiful. The trees loomed over the boats, fluttering in the cool winds and shielding the light rain in their canopy. Small flowers on the edges of the river shed a soft light from behind their petals and leaves, revealing the river path ahead of them. 

The river was widening progressively, the above canopy of the trees dropping. Lily gasped besides him and he looked at her quickly, following her eye movement to the sky. It was _glorious_. The stars were everywhere, never an empty space on the sky's canvas, a painting so fantastically filled to every corner. 

And then there were gasps from the other boats, the other students, and he was looking down again, to the path of travel. 

With the land fallen back the river had expanded onto a lake so wide and deep it seemed like the sea. And then, in the distance on the other side of Hogwart's Lake, Hogwarts itself. 

The castle was the definition of architecture. It was magnificently large and tall, arches and bridges connecting the towers that reached for the sky, the highest of them all easily distinct from the rest. The castle was sat atop a hill on the side of a mountain, closer to the bottom of the valley in scale but still so very far. The mountains themselves towered extraordinarily, covered in thick forests and cliffs. Even on a sunny, blue day some of the mountains would surpass the cloud cover. 

During all his gawking and fascination he hadn't realised how far the boats had gone. Ogg, who had come to be the leading boat, began to point out certain parts of the castle that could be seen. 

"The tallest tower, Ravenclaw Tower. That other one over there, Gryffindor Tower. Can't see Hufflepuff House from here, but it gets the hills on the other side of the castle. And down below, near those rocky areas, 'll be the dungeons. That's Slytherin House for you - underwater, got all the views of the deep."

He and Lily stared then, in the direction Ogg had pointed out for Slytherin House. They saw nothing, only the inky black of the water lapping at the rocks. 

A pit in Regulus' stomach opened up. For all the lectures and conversations and books he'd heard and read, he had of course known the whereabouts of Slytherin House. But, for some reason, it hadn't bothered him so much as it did now. 

Why had Salazar chosen _that_ location for his house? The _dungeons_. Regulus could only assume the dim green lights of the common rooms and dorms; it couldn't be very pleasant. 

With a sudden pang he realised that if he were sorted into Slytherin, he'd be living - _living_ \- in those dungeons, with their terrible light and cold dampness. Regulus knew he wouldn't accustom easily to those conditions, and especially would not have chosen to be stuck below ground level. 

This new revelation had him even more unsure if possible. He looked up then, to the Gryffindor Tower. 

It was as if he and Sirius just couldn't _not_ argue with over this, just as they had done for years. But this was different. Whatever he ultimately decided - and therefore also the Sorting Hat - could set him and his brother apart perhaps forever. He didn't want that and he knew Sirius didn't either. 

So maybe... so maybe he _should_ do as Sirius said. He and his brother together, against the world. Against their parents, against the rest of their pureblood families, against the people who'd look at them as they crossed hallways and whisper. 

But then again, there was Severus and Lily... Severus was ruled out surprisingly swiftly. He was weird, anyway. Lily, on the other hand...

They had reached the docking point for the castle by now, and as Lily stepped out of the boat, Regulus grabbed her arm. 

"I might not be in Slytherin, Lily. I don't think I want to be. But even if we're in different houses I still want to be your friend." He looked at her desperately, relaxing as she smiled. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Ogg. 

"All first year students this way please! Walk fast, don't want to keep us all waiting! To those of you who had a pet to bring, they were magicked away during the boat ride so don't worry if they disappeared."

Regulus had completely forgotten about Hermes. He turned around to check his boat, and indeed, Hermes and his coop was gone. The rest of the students began trudging forward after Ogg, into the castle and up a long staircase before waiting before a grand set of closed doors - leading, presumably, to the Great Hall. 

Lily and Regulus, now nearer to the back of the group, whispered to each other. 

"I don't think I want to be in Slytherin either, Regulus."

He looked up to her in shock. "But what about Severus?"

"This is about me, not him. Just like it should be about you, not where others want you to go."

They both walked in silence, pondering for a moment. Regulus felt Lily's hand grab and squeeze his own. The other students didn't seem as comforted as they waited; he felt a bit proud to have found so quickly such a kind friend as Lily. 

A stern-looking woman with a tight bun and neat robes appeared out of seemingly nowhere. She came to the front of the group, holding a scroll of parchment that opened itself, floating in front of her. 

"Students, if you may please organise yourself into a line as I say your names. This year the Sorting will take place in reverse alphabetical order..."

The lady's voice droned on the names. Regulus' heart began to beat faster as he grew more nervous. It was beginning to seem like there weren't any A-names; and hence meaning he was to be the very last Sorted. 

"Black! Regulus Black." He was already at the back of the line and waved to indicate himself. 

"Very well then, the doors will open soon. When they do, Mr. Zhang will lead the line into the Great Hall to the podium." She gave a curt nod and left, as did Ogg. 

Nobody spoke in the next minute. Suddenly the doors opened, giving everyone a startle, and sounds of chatter and soft music flowed outwards. Hastily and clumsily, the line began to move into the Great Hall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i fr think my writing is just getting worse :D  
> am i like ... adding too much or too little detail ?? too little outside description and too much internal description ??
> 
> hm  
> fun  
> wowza  
> yay


	8. The Sorting Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Sorting Ceremony - Reg. gets Ravenclaw

The first students began to walk, hesitantly and reluctantly, across the stretch of the Great Hall and up to the podium, stopping at the few stairs leading up to it. Regulus, as did other students, looked around trying to find familiar faces. 

He didn't have much time to, though, before his attention was placed back onto what lay ahead of him. The podium had since vanished, leaving a tall sitting stool in its place, and an old and patchy pointed sorcerers' hat on top of it - he knew this to be the Sorting Hat, having seen and heard of its descriptions several times in writing and conversation. Besides the stool and the Sorting Hat stood the stern-looking lady from earlier, and another man to the right of the stool. 

The man was clearly old, sporting a long and fully white beard. His skin was wrinkled, twinkling eyes hidden behind a pair of thin reading glasses. He looked every bit the wise aged character, and very much the Dumbledore that Regulus had seen in portraits and chocolate frog cards. Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, and whom he knew his parents loathed without clear intent. 

Dumbledore looked over them all as the line slowed and stopped. The group had bunched up, the order still intact somewhat. 

"Welcome, first years, to your first years at Hogwarts," his voice rasped loudly, heard throughout the hushed hall. "We begin, as always, with the Sorting Ceremony, where our first year students will be placed into their houses. 

The four houses, as I'm sure most of you will know, are Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Without further delay, we may begin. Professor McGonagall will read from her lists and one by one, you shall sit on this stool and allow the Sorting Hat to make a decision." He paused for a beat. "Of course, allow us hear his song first." He then left the front part of the stage, exiting to sit down at his chair along the table behind them, where other professors sat reviewing the hall. 

He gestured to the professor who gave a curt nod to the hat, as if giving it permission to begin. It did then, the crinkles and creases shaping into a dark face as it opened its mouth and raucously, began to sing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor-"_ and Regulus' heart skipped a beat at this. He looked around at the surrounding tables trying to spot the Gryffindors' by the reds of their ties.

_"-where dwell the brave of heart,_

_Their daring, nerve and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll meet your real friends,_

_Those cunning fold use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

There was a pause when the lines and creases of the hat settled before the hall broke into a short applause. Professor McGonagall picked the hat off the stool and began reading from her list of floating parchment. 

"Zhang, Alex!"

A small boy stumbled over the steps to the stool, sitting and allowing the professor place the hat over his head. Once again the hat moved, shifting into a face contemplating the mind it read. 

"You certainly have an ambition about you, a determination to be met. Well then... _SLYTHERIN!_ " The Slytherin table on one side of the hall cheered as Alex Zhang smiled and made his way over to them. Regulus wasn't even unsure about his decision to turn his back on Slytherin; he was just trying to find where his brother sat. But the hall was so long and wide, and Regulus was so short and hardly able to see over the heads of the those in the middle two tables. He soon gave up.

Hardly anytime seemed to pass as first years jumped up and down from the stools grinning and skipping their way to their new family. Less than five students were left before another name was called out: "Evans, Lily!"

Regulus held his breath, and he could see his friend do the same. From the corner of his eye he noticed a small pale-skinned figure stand expectantly. However, the Sorting Hat was hardly even considering Slytherin for her; "there is a sweetness, a purity in your heart, Miss Evans. You believe in what is true and just. There is a bravery, a courage that fires, too. Yet lastly, what I see to stand before all others, a wisdom and originality that aches at your core. And so, I make my decision... _RAVENCLAW!_ "

Regulus smiled widely. There was an applause from the table beside him and the line was moving forwards again. Lily caught his eye as she descended, so obviously happy with the decision that had been made. He was happy for her. He hardly noticed that pale-skinned figure sink back to its seat on the far side of the hall. 

"Eisserhoff, Roland! Elzbar, Evangeline!" Hufflepuff, Gryffindor. And then, with a growing black pit inside him...

"Black, Regulus!"

The last student left, the last first year to be sorted. It was as if the whole school was holding their breath as he ascended the stairs and boosted himself onto the stool. Professor McGonagall lowered the Sorting Hat onto his head, rough and soft material scratching at his scalp. 

On what had been his far right of the hall, now his left, he watched his brother rise. Regulus stared at Sirius shocked, a silent conversation spoken. He saw his brother smile and whisper to the two boys sitting with him before the hat even began talking.

"Hmm, you are surprisingly difficult, Mr. Black. A noble bloodline, an almost unwavering legacy-" _Gryffindor_ , Regulus thought. "But where is it that you truly belong? Ah, yes, a patience and trueness residing in you, though less strong than your other traits-" _Gryffindor_. "-A brave heart, there is fierce courage in you-" _Gryffindor_. "-A thirst for knowledge and wisdom-" _Gryffindor_. "-And yet also such passionate ambitions and determination... your brother has made me wish to think hard about this, to contemplate this better..."

 _Gryffindor_ , he repeated internally, louder and more forced, impatiently. He just wanted to be with his brother, he just wanted to be with Sirius. 

Still the Sorting Hat took its time, delighting in Regulus' annoyance. It laughed, "Oh, never mind. Most certainly not Hufflepuff with that temper. And though you do show such traits, I must say _no_ to the particular house you've in mind."

Regulus felt as if someone had squeezed the air out of his lungs. _What did it mean, not Gryffindor?_

And so he asked, internally. The Sorting Hat ignored his desperate questions.

"... though whether your ambitions outweigh your wit, may be a question only you can answer. Now, what is it you crave, Regulus? What do you want so badly you'd go to such lengths to reach? _Power or knowledge?_ " He could tell the last words were in his mind only. He didn't answer it.

_I want to be in Gryffindor. My brother said you'd let me choose the final decision._

_'Yes, boy,' the Hat answered mentally. 'But you must acknowledge where you belong, not your brother. And if you refuse the houses I believe are best for you, then I shall allow you Gryffindor.'_

Regulus accepted this, pondering the hat's question compliantly. Power or knowledge. He frowned, thinking the answer so simple. 

_Knowledge_ , he told the hat. And he knew this meant he had ruled out Slytherin, matching Ravenclaw with Gryffindor. 

Yet a new complication had once again arisen. 

The Hat _had_ said this were his final decision, which was to be Gryffindor... yet it had only been Gryffindor and Slytherin before. Not once had he considered Ravenclaw - the house of those lusting for knowledge and wisdom, those witty and original. Those who soared over the rest. It made such sense to Regulus that he became confused as to why he'd been so preoccupied thinking of other houses. 

With a newfound urgency he told the hat, _Ravenclaw. Place me in Ravenclaw._

He faintly heard the hat yell its name, and the cheering as the blue house rose excitedly, and the feel of the hat taken off his head. 

He felt himself blink. Ravenclaw. He had chosen Ravenclaw. 

And he felt himself beam, so proudly as he reached Lily and sat beside her, looking across the hall to his brother who sat bewildered - though not hurt.

Regulus Arturus Black, a Ravenclaw. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the whole regulus black with his im-not-like-other-wands and lengthy sorting hat convo  
> but like  
> he is the main character of this story
> 
> sO  
> y not make him extra :))


End file.
